The present invention relates to computing, and in particular, to a systems and methods for mobile design automation.
In computer aided design automation (“design automation”), computers are used to design a wide variety of real world systems, objects, and devices. Everything from semiconductor integrated circuits to jumbo jets or spacecraft are commonly designed using design automation software. Construction is another example field where design automation has been employed. FIG. 1 illustrates design automation in a typical construction context. In the construction context, engineers and drafts people typically work to prepare electronic designs for a construction project 101 in a main office 102 of a construction organization using local computers 103. The computers may execute design automation software such as a computer aided design (“CAD”) program, for example, to design various aspects of the construction project. CAD programs may be used to design residential homes, office buildings, factories, or even bridges, dams, or other infrastructure projects.
One type of construction project that exemplifies the limitations of traditional uses of CAD programs is a solar energy project. In a typical solar energy project, a salesperson may first visit a home to meet a potential customer. The salesperson may take notes on what the customer's preferences are for the solar energy system. Next, an auditor 150 may visit the customer to perform an energy audit of the home. The auditor may gather further data on the home's energy usage profile and details of the home's construction as a precursor to installation of a solar energy system in the home. Finally, a construction crew may install a solar energy system at the construction site.
Typically, as employees of a solar energy vendor make repeated trips to a customer's home, data is collected and presented to engineers back at the main office to be used to design the solar energy system. For example, engineers at the main office 102 may use a CAD program operating on main office computers 103 to model relevant portions of the home and create documentation for proper installation of the solar energy system at the construction site.
One problem with existing approaches to design automation is the physical separation between the engineering specialists using the automation software and the location where the design problems are being addressed. The separation of engineering from a construction site, for example, may result in several problems, including increased costs stemming from multiple additional employees visiting the site to relay information back to the engineering team and disconnects resulting from inaccurate or incorrect assessments of the site that result in erroneous design documentation. For instance, the employees who typically engage in customer contact are typically sales people and/or fields crews not technically trained to the level of engineers at the main office, and sending experienced engineering teams to every customer project may be extremely costly and inefficient.
More generally, separation between customers having engineering problems to be solved and the main offices where engineering specialists typically perform design automation leads to increased costs, slower design times, and an increased likelihood of errors in the design process.
Embodiments of the present invention improve design automation by providing systems and methods for mobile design automation.